Growing Old
by Smokey-eyed-Beauty
Summary: Just some stuff on Athrun gorwing older, set in a cemetary. [ONESHOT]


**Just some stuff on Athrun growing older I guess. There's not much point to this, but I'm proud of it anyways. Edited because I couldn't stand the lyrics in the middle of the fic.**

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Athrun gazed at the horizon. The sun was already setting. He glanced at his watch; it read 7:31. Had he really been here that long? Shivering slightly, he pulled his jacket closer to his body to absorb its heat. Autumn nights were programmed to be chilly in the PLANTs.

Walking past the graves of the dead, Athrun pondered leaving and coming back another day. It was getting late after all, and how exactly was he supposed to find his way around a cemetery filled with identical tombstones in the dark? Twice, he looked the exit, and twice he scolded himself for thinking of doing something so treacherous. For months now, he had been telling himself to come here and finding excuses not to. Now that he had finally come, Athrun figured that he might as well get it all over with. Besides, from here on out, he knew the locations of the graves he had yet to visit by heart.

The smell of damp wood was hanging in the air like a campfire dowsed out by the rain. It was a nostalgic smell that reminded Athrun of memories he couldn't describe as either happy or sad or anything in between. They were a collection of undefined moments that this one would surely be joining. With a sigh, Athrun stopped in front of Nicol's grave.

"Hey," he said.

There wasn't much else to say. Athrun had never been good at talking to people that didn't talk back. He saluted Nicol instead. The sun had set now and the young man had to crouch to see the dead boy's name (even with his coordinator vision). He left soon after.

There were still two more tombs to visit, both of them belonging to his parents. Athrun hadn't meant to save them for last, things had just happened that way. Things _always_ happened that way.

He walked around a lot before finally taking the path that lead to his mother's grave. He'd go see his father last, he decided, seeing as Leonore's remains were closer.

One thing Athrun had never understood was why they hadn't buried his parents together. Even now, as he dreaded his dear dad's shadow, the young man greatly admired the love and affection Patrick Zala had had for his wife. He had always felt that they had cheated his father when they buried his remains (actually, they had just placed an empty coffin in front of his tombstone) next to Siegal Clyne, a man he had ordered killed.

Finally, he saw the familiar form of Leonore Zala's tomb, hidden away from the other gravestones as his father had ordered it so. Approaching it, he noticed the fleeting figure of a woman. Curious, he hastened his paste. Who else visited the cemetery at this time of night?

"Who goes there?" he asked as he reached his mother's quiet sanctuary, where the person had also, coincidently it seemed, been heading.

"Calm down Athrun, it's just me."

"Cagalli," the coordinator mumbled, shell-shocked.

"Hey," she replied in a friendly way. "What's up?"

You would have never thought they were standing in a cemetery, Athrun mused as he took a moment to observe the natural. It had been almost a year since they'd last seen each other, but she was still the same. Same blond hair, same small body, same brown eyes. Perhaps her face had grown a bit older but because she was content at the moment, he couldn't tell. That was the funny thing with Cagalli, you could really only see her age when she was upset.

"Nothing that exciting honestly," he mumbled, "probably nothing as exciting as what you're doing on a day to day basis."

"No kidding."

They turned to Leonore's grave and paid their respects in silence and darkness. Athrun, who had grown used to visiting his mother's grave, couldn't help but find it weird paying his respects next to Cagalli. Asides from one time in Orb, with Shinn and his friends, the coordinator had always done this sort of thing alone. It was awkward standing next to another person at a time like this though, he had to admit, slightly comforting.

"What are you doing here, Cagalli?" he asked after a while. She smiled tightly.

"I'm here on business, of course," she said with a scoff, "but I'm done for the day, so I thought I might as well come and pay my respects…"

"No, I mean here," Athrun interjected, "my mother's grave."

Cagalli looked away.

"It's only fair," she mumbled, trailing off before picking up again, "after all, you did go pay your respects to father…" She was suddenly quiet. Athrun guessed that she was as eager as he was to talk about their relationship. Not after a hard day's work with the various PLANT politicians.

"I see," he mumbled in recognition anyways, "I suppose that Kisaka is waiting for you somewhere near here, right?"

"Yeah," answered the young woman, happy for a change of subject, "he's at the entrance."

"Would you like me to walk you there?" Athrun questioned, staring at his feet.

"Sure."

So they walked to the entrance in a content silence. Kisaka stood waiting next to the large iron gates, patiently waiting for his charge. He seemed surprised to see Athrun with her, and somewhat wary of him too. The coordinator didn't take it too personally though; he guessed that the bodyguard would be wary of anyone who appeared next to Cagalli in this sort of situation.

"Would you like a ride home, Athrun?" the young woman asked him clearly and suddenly.

"No, thank-you," he jumbled back in surprise. It was odd to hear her speak after all that silence. Then again, the blonde girl he knew could never stay so quiet for long. She shrugged at his response, as if she had been expecting it. The young man suspected that asking people for a ride was just a habit she had picked up on the job. No doubt it served her well. "I still have…something to do," he told her.

Cagalli nodded, not quite understanding, but accepting.

"Alright, but be careful, it's dark out here," she said. Typical Cagalli.

Athrun nodded. He watched Cagalli climb into the car that was waiting for her with Kisaka and drive off to wherever it was she had to be. Some fancy hotel was his bet. Watching her leave, he felt a good deal more adult than he ever had.

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